


Momovember (Formerly Ladybug, Ladybug)

by Meatball



Category: Free!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Domestic, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Food, M/M, Momo is a bug doctor, Momo needs more coffee, Momo tries to bake, Original Character(s), Other, Tagged Mature for some language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-04-29 17:48:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5137019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball/pseuds/Meatball
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>6 Nov 15: I've decided to just consolidate my Momovember/Promptember works into one with however many chapters.<br/>21 Nov 15: I suppose I should note that not all these are in the same universe.</p><p>1. <a href="http://goo.gl/HFkcRc"><strong>Ladybug, Ladybug:</strong></a> Momo comes home and it's quiet. Too quiet.<br/>2. <a href="http://goo.gl/xBZlFq"><strong>Oh, Brother:</strong></a> Momo's sister, Yukiko, spends a not-so-quiet afternoon with Sousuke and her baby brother.<br/>3. <a href="http://goo.gl/05emd1"><strong>Five-minute Flash Fic Challenge:</strong></a> Nagisa's birthday is coming & Momo wants to do something special for his friend. Because he's thoughtful like that. Momo isn't a pastry chef, that's for sure.<br/>4. <a href="http://goo.gl/efzWZf"><strong>Nighttime Feeding:</strong></a> Another five-minute fic. Someone wants a midnight snack.<br/>5. <a href="http://goo.gl/645XxI"><strong>Warm Reception:</strong></a> Momo sees a familiar face far from home.<br/> </p><p> </p><p>Works for <a href="http://goo.gl/vrRAom">Promptember 2015</a>/Momovember</p><p>All Momo, All The Time</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ladybug, Ladybug

**Author's Note:**

> Momo comes home and it's quiet. Too quiet.
> 
>  
> 
> Based on a [prompt from OTP Prompts.](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/132431133461/person-b-comes-home-from-workgroceriesetc-and)
>
>> Person B comes home from work/groceries/etc. and finds Person A and their small child napping. The child sleeps in the exact some position as Person A (arm over head, leg up in air, let your imagination go wild) and also makes the stupid face Person A makes when they sleep.
>> 
>> Tiny bonus: Person B takes a photo and posts it on Facebook for all their friends to see.
> 
> For Promptember/Momovember Day 2 

* * *

 

Momo furrows his brow as he opens the front door. “I’m home,” he whispers loudly as he walks in and toes off his shoes. He places his bag down quietly before stepping into the hall.

The silence, as they say in France, is deafening. Most days, Hana would be running to greet him as soon as he stepped through the front door. If he was lucky, he’d have a full five seconds to take his shoes off and put his stuff away before he found himself trying to pry off a very enthusiastic two-year-old human female who has affixed herself to his leg and repositioning her on his torso instead. Of course, he’s home early today. The lack of the usual cacophony likely means that said two-year-old human is napping.

“Soooousuke…” he sing-songs in low tones, in case Hana is asleep, which, from the not-sounds of things, is probably a safe bet. But where, oh where, is Momo’s husband?

He turns his head as his ears pick up a soft, steady noise and he follows it to the living room, where his questions are answered.

There, on the floor in the middle of the room, lay his husband and their daughter, sprawled out side-by-side amid a basket’s worth of toys and stuffed animals. Sousuke’s right arm extends out to the side, his bicep serving as a pillow for the little girl, whose dark brown pigtails have started loosening, her same arm similarly laid out.

They both have their heads turned in the opposite direction, mouths slightly open, snoring softly while small dribbles of saliva try to escape via the corners of their mouths. Momo can’t resist. He moves around quietly, careful to sidestep the toys as he goes. He pulls out his phone and giggles to himself as he snaps a photo or three, zooming in to make sure he gets their faces.

He makes his way to lay down on the couch next to Sousuke. He puts the phone on vibrate then scrolls through his contacts, attaching the snapshots to a message to his sister.

  
_Look at these two dorks._

She responds within the minute.

 

**Yukiko Mikoshiba**  
_Aw. Like father, like daughter._  
_Look at that fat baby! She’s getting so big!_

_Growing up so fast. Too fast._  
_Hey, you coming by this weekend or what?_

**Yukiko Mikoshiba**  
_You bet!_  
_Haven’t seen my daughter-niece in a month, are you kidding?_  
_Sei and Gou are coming out too._  


_Sweet! Hana’s gonna be so excited to see her cousin._

**Yukiko Mikoshiba**  
_Me too. See you this weekend, little bro. Love you guys!_

_Love you too, big sis._

 

“Momo?” Sousuke groans sleepily from the floor next to him, one eye opening to look in the direction of the quiet buzzing.

“I’m home, Sleepybutt,” he turns and whispers, supporting himself with one arm as he leans down from the couch to kiss Sousuke. “You guys made a mess,” he grins.

Sousuke tilts his head up, chuckling as he glances at the mess of toys surrounding him before settling his gaze on the little girl on his arm. “Mm-hmm,” he agrees, his tone full of warmth. He pushes some stray locks from her cheek. “Little Ladybug had lots of fun today,” he whispers tenderly. “She’s so worn out.”

“Want me to take her to her room?” Momo offers. Sousuke shakes his head. “We can stay here. I like this,” he pauses before amending, “Well, _I_ like this. My shoulder will probably complain later.” The couple exchange a smile. “Worth it,” they say in unison. Quietly.

Momo stretches out on the couch and makes himself comfortable, facing his family, and smiling warmly. “In that case, I’m calling family nap time.”


	2. Oh, Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yukiko spends a not-so-quiet afternoon with Sousuke and Momo.
> 
>  
> 
> Based on a prompt from [Fuck Yeah Character Development.](http://fuckyeahcharacterdevelopment.tumblr.com/post/110351544568/005864)
>
>> Describe Character B from Character A’s point of view.
> 
> So I didn't quite do this. Got a bit carried away.
> 
>  
> 
> For Promptember/Momovember Day 3

* * *

 

 

There a was a moment’s hesitation, but not a second of doubt. Surprise, maybe. But never doubt.

“Yes! Oh, my god, yes!”

A flurry of limbs. Flashes of red-orange hair subdued by the darkest of browns. Two bodies flung against her and she was breathless.

 

* * *

 

Yukiko Mikoshiba rocks gently in her chair, sipping on a glass of ice water. She smiles, quietly watching the battle between her brother and her brother-in-law across the room.

“What the fuck, Momo? That’s just cheating!”

Momo cackles. “Bullet Bill isn’t cheating, Sou. They wouldn’t keep putting it in the game if it was. HEY-!”

Yukiko snickers as Toad is knocked off into the lava and he starts back up in ninth place.

“Motherf- HAH!” Momo’s frustrated curse is interrupted by a triumphant whoop as he picks up another Bullet Bill and zips to second, overtaking Sousuke on first, and winning the race. “ _Where is your god now?_ ” He cheers loudly, standing up and punching the air above his head while his husband throws his arms in irritation.

Momo’s sister chuckles, tucking a stray lock of flame-red hair behind her ear and pushing herself up in her seat. She winces as she feels a jab at her ribcage, murmuring as she rubs at the sore spot. There’s no way to really sit comfortably these days, but despite her every wish for the pregnancy to  _just be fucking over with already,_  she will never doubt this decision.

She’d never seen Momo so happy, so  _intoxicated_  by joy, as the day she agreed to carry their baby. Not when he found his first pet beetle. Not when he won his stroke at the World University Games. Even the day he and Sousuke got married falls behind, if only a little. She is sure that Sousuke felt the same way, if the way they smothered her then was anything to go by. Perhaps they hadn’t been sure if she’d accept. For Yuki, there was never a question of If; only When.

 

* * *

 

“I think three, just like us,” Momo had said, looking out to the horizon. “At least two.”

“Me, too,” Yuki concurred, turning her trademark golden Mikoshiba eyes to follow his gaze. It was probably too cold for them to be out on this hill at this time of year but that had never been a deterrent to the siblings before. It was worth it to catch up on the last several months they've been apart.

“How’d we get to kids again?”

“You were talking about being captain,” she reminded him and his eyes lit up in recognition. “And how you’ll miss your ‘kids.’” The midmorning sun peeked from behind winter clouds, casting an ethereal glow on the town below them.

“Yeah.” The sigh was wistful, yet proud. Yuki glanced at him and smiled.

“Sei said the same thing his last year,” she said, turning back to the well-worn path they took up the hill. Momo followed a second later. “I’ll tell you what I told him: Give ‘em a visit next year,” she said. “I bet they’d really appreciate it.”

 

* * *

 

Yukiko sits up with a start. It takes her a second to realize that she’d dozed off, amid the yelling between Momo and Sousuke. Par for the course in the Mikoshiba household.

She feels even more uncomfortable than she did earlier, back aching, sweaty, kind of gross. Late-term pregnancy has been brutal with the hot summer. She’s soaked, legs sticking to the leather of th-

A moment’s hesitation. Surprise. Certainty.

“Guys?”

“ ** _Guys._** ” Two heads turn in her direction. Toad drives off of Rainbow Road, followed not long after by Bowser.

“Time to go.”

A flurry of limbs. Flashes of red-orange hair and the darkest of browns. Two bodies fling against her and she is breathless.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on [Tumblr](http://idontevenswim.tumblr.com).


	3. Five-minute Flash Fic Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nagisa's birthday is coming and Momo wants to do something special for his friend. Because he's thoughtful like that.
> 
> Momo isn't a pastry chef, that's for sure.
> 
>  
> 
> Promptember/Momovember Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was tagged by [WhyTheHandbasket](http://archiveofourown.org/users/WhyTheHandbasket) on that place with the tumbling. Write a thing in five minutes.
> 
> I got just under halfway through and took another seven minutes to just tie it all up. 
> 
> It's a mess. 
> 
> Just like the kitchen.

“Come on, Ai.  _Pleeeease?_ ” Ai peers up from his textbook, somewhat annoyed at being interrupted, but Momo is very difficult to say no to.

“But it’s just brownies, Momo. Why do you even need my help with it? There are directions on the box,” he objects but follows Momo into their kitchen anyway.

“I’m not making box brownies. It’s for Nagisa’s birthday so I wanted to make it from scratch,” he runs his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to screw it up.”

Ai looks over at the laptop that held the recipe. Looks simple enough. And Momo doesn’t really cook, so better safe than sorry, he supposes.

They get prepped and started, putting ingredients into bowls.

_[A/N: This is where my timer ended. I finished the rest for Promptember/Momovember.]_

So far, so good. Ai starts mixing the contents of his bowl.

He relaxes, not realizing he’d been tense in the first place. Momo’s moods are contagious, he remembers. Perhaps Momo’s more confident now about getting these brownies done for Nagisa after all.

Ai looks over at his roommate to confirm. Momo is focused on his batch but looks less anxious than he did several minutes prior. Ai watches as the redhead reviews the next step detailed on the laptop, leans back and shoves his hand directly into the brownie mix.

“Momo, no!”

The redhead jumps back, startled. He turns to Ai, annoyed, holding his brownie hand up. A glob of chocolate drops to the floor.

“What?”

“What are you  _doing_?”

Momo’s forehead wrinkles. “What do you mean, ‘what are you doing’?”

“Why the fuck did you stick your hand into the mix?” Ai watches another glob fall before he grabs Momo’s arm and puts it over the sink and under running water.

Momo stares at him then points his nose toward the recipe on the laptop. “It says it right there, Ai:  _Mix by hand._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me your brownie recipies on [Tumblr](http://idontevenswim.tumblr.com).


	4. Nighttime Feeding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Five-minute Flash Fic.
> 
>  
> 
> Someone wants a midnight snack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Momovember Day 6

A piercing cry disturbs the stillness of the night. Momo forces his eyes open and groans. He rolls over on the bed and squints daggers at Sousuke, unmoving, sleeping like a log. He lets the slight resentment ebb away. It’s his turn, but Sousuke’s also had a very full day, then he watched the baby.

Momo rolls out of bed, not bothering to be careful. It would take an explosion to wake him up in this state.

“There, there, Hana,” he coos at the infant as he picks her up. He heads to the kitchen to microwave a bottle of milk while she screams in his ear. Some nights, he wonders why he signed up for this. Why he wanted this at all. He and Sousuke barely slept before the baby.

But when he puts her back into her crib, full and sated and peaceful, the questions stop. She’s worth it. 


	5. Warm Reception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Momo sees a familiar face far from home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been so remiss in doing more Momovember stuff. Have some MomoGou.

Momo slides his bag down under his seat, ready for the next session to start. Something about virtual technology in medical education. He stifles a yawn and takes a gulp of his now-cold coffee as he sits down, staring blankly at the speaker still seated and waiting at the front of the room. He loves the _idea_ of travel but always regrets it the day after the plane lands. Sleep would not let go of him this morning and he’d needed three cups of coffee — black, good god — just to get him primed for the day.

It’s the last session of the first day of the conference but there won’t be any luck getting back to his room to nap soon. There's a networking event he’d really like to attend tonight. He wonders briefly if he might need a fifth cup of coffee as he looks down at his fourth, which he’s been nursing since lunch.

At least they’ll have alcohol and some food.

“Momo?” A small wave of confusion washes over him. He’d sat down without regard to who was already around but he also knows that his friend and colleague, Minami, is giving her own presentation in another room. Who else would know him here? He blinks, turning his head in the direction of the woman next to him. The burgundy hair is close-cropped into a feathery pixie cut now, but he recognizes the wide, smiling red eyes and creamy skin. The last person he’d expected to run into here.

“Gou? Oh, wow. Hey!” he greets, more loudly than planned. Well, he’s awake now. “How’re you doing? What are you up to?” A slew of questions flood his mind but he stops there, reminding himself that interrogation probably isn’t the best way to encourage friendly conversation.

“Hey yourself! I didn’t expect to run into you here, of all places.” She lifts the name badge hanging from a lanyard around her neck and presents it to him. “I teach physiotherapy at Tokyo University. What about you?”

“Oh, uh,” he fumbles his words, feeling a brief sense of deja vu. He’s a high school freshman all over again. “One of my colleagues told me about this conference, actually. Thought I might be interested in the offerings.” He lowers his voice, suddenly conscious of everyone else around them. He nods towards the man in the front of the room. “This guy’s presentation in particular.” He turns in his seat, finally facing her fully.

She follows his lead and speaks more quietly as well. “Yeah! Isn’t it a neat idea? Virtual reality for training medical personnel. I can’t wait to see what they’ve built. I’m actually checking out tech that might be useful teaching tools for us. What about you? What’s an entomologist doing at a higher ed conference? Are you teaching now too?” She eyes him curiously.

Bright golden eyes widen in surprise. It took her ages to get his name right and now she knows what he does for a living? Momo wonders briefly if the coffee had finally lost effectiveness and he’s actually asleep after all. Really? She’s kept up after all these years?

“I’m surprised you even know that!” Momo replies, never one to keep too many of his thoughts hidden. He notes the slightest color bloom in her cheeks as he says so. She smiles, as if to draw his gaze away from it.   
  
“Oh, Nagisa has all the gossip,” she says easily.

Ah. Of course he does.

“You didn’t answer my question, though. What are _you_ doing here?” she repeats. She blinks and her gaze shifts almost imperceptibly, appraising him, before moving back to meet his eyes. Momo might have missed it if he wasn’t looking directly at her. “I mean, not that I’m complaining or anything,” she adds quickly.

“Ah.” Momo tells himself that the small knot starting in the pit of his stomach just means he should have had a bigger lunch. He gives her a warm, sunny grin. “Actually, I’m here with the colleague who told me about this conference. _She’s_ the teacher, not me. Forensics at Kyoto U. She knows the guy presenting the VR session and she thought I’d be interested. I guess we’ll see, huh?”

“Forensics?” she asks, a brow lifting with interest.

He nods, taking another gulp of his coffee. “I’m guessing Nagisa didn’t actually specify,” he grins. “I’m a forensic entomologist.” He keeps his grin on and watches her for a response.

“Oh, wow! Look at me; I know Gil Grissom!” she says, more excitedly than he’d expected. Her expression changes into a frown suddenly. “Tell me you’ve seen CSI.”

“Grissom _might_ have been an influence,” he laughs heartily. She beams. “Actually, he’s kind of a personal hero in that regard.” Momo wonders this time if maybe the coffee is actually working too well. This _has_ to be some sort of hallucination.

He starts to say something else but doesn’t get the chance as the speaker gets up from his seat at the front of the room and welcomes the attendees.

* * *

“This is _so_ cool!” Momo gushes at no one in particular at the end of the presentation. He’s already got a couple of ideas brewing on the application of the VR tech to his line of work.

“Isn’t it though?” Gou agrees, gathering her things and getting up. Momo, still in his seat, turns to her. _She’s so tiny,_ he notes. She’s barely taller than he is when he’s sitting down. “This thing is gonna be so great for our program when they integrate haptics into it,” she continues. “I wonder if I can talk the school into getting involved with the development.” Momo watches her quietly. She’s clearly as excited as he is about the emerging technology, if not more so. Her eyes are sparkling and he can see the gears turning in her head as she tries to work out how to get the university to buy into a partnership with the gadget’s developers. He smiles to himself, glad to see that despite the fifteen-year gap, at least a bit of what he remembers of her are still true.

“Hey,” he reaches out and touches her arm lightly. He flashes her a smile when she looks over. “Are you heading down to the welcome reception? We should catch up.”

She returns his smile and Momo swears she looks...delighted? Huh.

“Yeah! Let’s do that.” She turns to go, but stops. “Actually, how about I meet you down there? I’m gonna drop this bag off up to my room. I don’t need my laptop.”

Momo nods, standing and shouldering his own bag. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. I should do that too.”

Many of the attendees seem to share the thought. The elevators to the hotel’s upper floors are packed. Momo smiles and nods as Gou steps off at her floor. “See you downstairs.”

“Yep!” she smiles back and waves quickly as the doors close.

* * *

Gou approaches Momo quietly at the reception and he jumps — only a little! — when she touches his back to let him know of her presence. They exchange grins before turning their attention to the small group they're now part of. Her timing is perfect. Minami had found him first and pulled him over to meet the star presenter of the day, now in the middle of said small group, elaborating more on his institution’s virtual reality project. It’s an exciting prospect and Momo’s finding the idea of getting involved with it himself more and more appealing. Much like Gou earlier, he’s trying to figure out how to get his superiors to buy into it.

He smiles to himself, remembering how she looked as she worked out the beginnings of her plan of attack. He sneaks a glance down to her, surprised to find her already looking at him. She smiles, eyes crinkling, before turning back to the speaker who has paused. Gou pounces.

“Professor Nakamura, Dr. Gou Matsuoka,” she introduces herself, bows, and extends her hand. “I’m a physiotherapist and a professor at Tokyo University. I’m so happy to find out about your project. I can already see so many uses for it for our students.”

Momo chats with Minami as the other two talk for a few more minutes, exchanging business cards and promising to follow up with prospects of partnership and collaboration before Nakamura’s attention is pulled by another small group.

“Ah! Minami. I want you to meet an old friend. This is Dr. Gou Matsuoka. I went to high school with her brother and she managed our rival swim team. Gou, this is Dr. Minami Ito, forensic pathologist and professor at Kyoto University. Also all-around pain-in-the-ass,” he teases.

Minami backhands his bicep — “Yeah, yeah, asshole,” — before offering her hand to Gou in greeting. In a show of solidarity, Gou punches his other arm before exchanging laughs, “Nice to meet yous,” and “My pleasures” with Minami.

They don’t hang around too long, Momo offering excuses for both of them to grab wine and beer and hors d’oeuvres. Minami catches Momo’s eye as Gou starts toward the bar and throws him an exaggerated, lecherous wink. Momo squints at her and rolls his eyes before he walks away.

Most of the tables are full, and where they are able to sit, they find themselves engrossed in conversation with other attendees. Next thing they know, the reception is over and they have barely spoken to each other.

“So much for catching up, huh?” Gou chuckles.

“I probably should have known better. I don’t know what I was expecting,” Momo grins, shaking his head.

“You know, the snacks really weren’t much,” Gou says, nibbling on the last of a strawberry. “If you don’t have anything planned for the evening, you wanna just grab dinner somewhere?” she asks. Momo can’t tell if the flush in her cheeks is from the wine or something else.

“Yeah! Yeah. Let’s do that.”

“Any ideas?”

Momo mulls it over. “I haven’t been in Sapporo in about a year but there’s a really good Italian place a couple of blocks down, if I remember right.”

Gou finishes her glass and puts it down. “Sounds like a plan! I’m ready when you are. I’m _fucking starving._ ”

He laughs. Some things really haven’t changed.

* * *

Dinner is pleasant. More than pleasant. It’s wonderful. And the food is delicious too.

They share a bottle of wine over dinner. Momo finds himself finally relaxing from the long day, settling into an old familiar groove. Gou steals a bite of his veal. Momo steals some of her salmon. She threatens naval warfare, sprinkling him with water and laughing. He rolls up his sleeves and prepares for battle.

He doesn’t miss the way her gaze lingers just a little too long on his forearms.

They talk excitedly about the conference. Momo tells her how he’d planned to only come in for the day, ostensibly to attend only the session on VR but he’d decided to just take in the whole conference to see what else might be in store. It turns out to be a good decision; the VR folks have a panel tomorrow and now he’s really excited to see that. Besides, there were good opportunities to network here. Meet new people. Or even old ones. _In any case,_ he thinks to himself, _I’m really glad I came._

“So hey, listen.” Gou pours the last of the wine into Momo’s glass. “I’m really glad you came.” He grins. She looks at him, somewhat suspicious. “What?”

“Nothing! Nothing. I was just thinking that I’m glad I came too.” The corners of his grin soften into something more tender. “It’s been great catching up with you.”

She smiles back at him over the rim of her wine glass. This time, Momo is sure that she’s blushing and she’s trying to hide it. “Same here,” she says, suddenly shy. “Listen, I-,” she turns her eyes down, hesitant. “I wanted to apologize, Momo.”

“You what? What for?”

“I-, I just wasn’t the nicest person to you. You know, back in the day.” She keeps her gaze away, bashful. Repentant?

“Oh.” The sudden change in mood takes him aback, if a little. His immediate response, however, is to take her hand.

“Gou,” he says, his voice low and reassuring. “Listen. It’s fine. Really. Hey.” With his other hand, he lifts her chin gently and turns her head to face him. “Hey. You _were_ nice. We were in high school.” He offers her a warm smile. “I know I wasn’t exactly...easy to deal with early on.”

The corners of her mouth pull up, first into a smile, then widening into a grin. “Well, I really wasn’t either. Got pretty bossy sometimes,” she admits, squeezing his hand. “Well, most of the time,” she chuckles.  

“And I was pretty, uh, excitable.” Momo replies with his own laugh. “Don’t worry. Ai told me. Often.”

She giggles.

“I admit it was a rough start. But, hey, we got along well enough in the end, right?”

* * *

The mood on the walk back to the hotel is back to being lighter, more comfortable, past insecurities shed and discarded. _Unfortunate,_ Momo thinks, _that it’s so short._ He’s enjoying himself and he briefly entertains the idea of stalling somehow. Dessert. Another bottle of wine. Detour at the coffee shop a few more blocks past the hotel.

But, it’s a school night and they’re not on some pleasure trip. They’re both still technically working during all this. And there’s still the regular work he has to catch up on, really. Gou’s surely in the same boat.

“Hey, you,” Gou shoulders him as they cross the street, startling him from his thoughts. “Did I lose you?”

“Ah,” Momo sheepishly shoves his hands deeper in his coat pockets. “Yeah. Sorry.” He looks at her, apologetic. “Just a little tired, I guess,” he feigns a yawn, even though he couldn’t be any less tired right now. “Maybe a little bit of food coma.”

“Oh, good,” she says, relief in her voice. “I thought maybe I was boring you or something.” Gou cocks her head and gives him a sideways glance, smile playing on her lips.

“Well,” Momo looks up at the sky. “I wasn’t gonna say anything…,” he lets his voice trail off. She gives a light kick to his calf and they break into laughter as they walk through the main doors of their hotel.

“Fifth floor, right?” he asks when they get in the elevator.

“Mm-hmm,” she nods. He presses the button for her floor as well as his. “Sixth,” she muses.

“614,” Momo confirms before realizing that she hadn’t actually asked. Heat creeps up his cheeks as he considers the implications of his response.

“Really?” Gou asks, amused. Momo’s blush deepens and he avoids facing her directly. “You’re my upstairs neighbor?”

“Am I?” He feels a small rush of relief that she didn’t notice his little misstep. Or that she ignored it. “I’ll have to make sure to stomp around very loudly then.”

Another kick to the calf. Momo mutters something about abuse and they share more laughs.

“Hey, Gou?” Momo asks as she starts to step out onto her floor. He reaches out, placing his hand on the elevator doors, keeping them open.

“I had a great time tonight. So,” he breathes. “So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to do this again tomorrow night.” He braces himself for the “No” she’s likely to give him.

She hesitates, keeping her back to him and looking down intently at the pattern on the hallway carpet. “Momo,” she says his name softly. Not quite a whisper. She turns to face him, placing a hand on the doors herself. Cheeks flushed, she licks her lips and turns dark pools of red up at him through long lashes. “You’re welcome to join me now. If you want.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:D
> 
> I accept chocolate fondue and wine over on [Tumblr.](http://idontevenswim.tumblr.com)


End file.
